It believes the ability to access real-time data could aid human diagnosis and treatment during spaceflight, which in turn could lead to developments to help those living in isolated areas of Earth.
The $180-million iLAuNCH trailblazer is a partnership between academic institutions and more than 20 industry partners that aims to accelerate the development of the space manufacturing sector.
This latest initiative will be led by the Australian National University, which will partner with industry leaders, including Saber Astronautics, Aspen Medical, and Liquid Instruments.
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ANU will develop medical digital twins to rapidly simulate, diagnose, and predict an astronaut or space passenger’s physiology in real time and their fitness to fly and function in space.
Liquid Instruments, meanwhile, will develop an integrated sensing-analysis-communication tool alongside Saber Astronautics, which will ensure its seamless communication.
Project lead Professor Klaus-Martin Schulte said, “The analysis will be primed by algorithms informed by ANU digital twins and matured using medical science in combination with artificial intelligence tools such as machine learning in iterative field trials using real-life volunteer and patient data from intensive care units.”
Saber Astronautics will provide rideshare services for the tool on microgravity test flights. The company will also ensure safe integration of data streams into mission control, via the Responsive Space Operations Centre (RSOC).
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Aspen Medical founder Glenn Keys said, “Our strategy envisions remote and isolated communities, and now Australian astronauts, having access to unobtrusive diagnostic tools that provide both patients and clinicians near real-time health data to aid in precise diagnosis and predictive treatments.”
iLAuNCH said the project would bring “direct and palpable benefits to Australians on the ground” as there is a “huge opportunity” to enhance the conditions of remote patients by providing them with predictive health monitoring.
“The combination of AI and advanced computing architectures, along with an understanding of measurements and their relation to human health, is fundamentally useful to all human beings and may be integrated into wearable products of the future,” it said.
It comes after Space Connect reported earlier this month how Inovor and ANU are set to collaborate to create a new type of communication tech that promises higher data transfers between satellites and Earth.
The two organisations, also backed by iLAuNCH, believe its software-defined radio (SDR) will also be more resilient than traditional radio frequency technology.
The deal will see ANU conduct research and provide simulation models while Adelaide-based Inovor will develop the prototype hardware and software.
Adam Thorn
Adam is a journalist who has worked for more than 40 prestigious media brands in the UK and Australia. Since 2005, his varied career has included stints as a reporter, copy editor, feature writer and editor for publications as diverse as Fleet Street newspaper The Sunday Times, fashion bible Jones, media and marketing website Mumbrella as well as lifestyle magazines such as GQ, Woman’s Weekly, Men’s Health and Loaded. He joined Momentum Media in early 2020 and currently writes for Australian Aviation and World of Aviation.
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